Best Film Ensemble

Did “The Walking Dead” just make a grave mistake by killing off Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs)? For eight seasons Carl has represented lightness and hope on AMC’s zombie apocalypse drama. Now that Carl has joined Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) on our ever-growing death list, the show has lost its most optimistic character. Will YOU miss Carl on “The Walking Dead”? Vote now in our poll below.

In the mid-season premiere, titled “Honor,” fans were clued in to the fact that Carl was bitten earlier in the season by a walker as he was trying to bring new ally Siddiq to Alexandria. Carl then set out to live his final day to its fullest, by hanging out with baby sister Judith, enjoying the sunlight, and writing goodbye letters to Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Michonne (Danai Gurira) and his many friends.

After Glenn and Abraham were killed off at the beginning of Season 7, the show made an effort to ensure that their deaths weren’t in vain. Characters frequently mention the duo, and their murders at the hands of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was the impetus for the current war that’s dominated Season 8 of “The Walking Dead.” Time will tell how the show treats Carl’s death going forward.

Carl’s demise means that only three characters from the Season 1 cast are still alive: Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). Morgan Jones (Lennie James), who appeared in the pilot, later returned to the show as a series regular, though he’ll be leaving at season’s end to join spinoff series “Fear the Walking Dead.